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Welcome back to Now Runway, where we report to you from the frontlines of the digital fashion and luxury revolution. As Paris Fashion Week creates headlines and speculation — mostly around Pharrell Williams’ debut show for Louis Vuitton — we are happy to report that IRL Fashion Weeks do not slow down the digital fashion cycle.
Here’s what you missed in the last week, from Givenchy Beauty celebrating Pride Month on Spatial to Nike teaming up with Fortnite.
Givenchy Beauty
Givenchy Beauty is celebrating Pride Month by unveiling an exhibition in the metaverse called the “Givenchy Beauty Pride Gallery.” Hosted on the metaverse platform Spatial and designed by bem.builders — a bridge builder between brands and the metaverse — the project granted three digital creators complete freedom to explore the theme of inclusivity and celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community while adhering to the luxury house’s codes.
The Givenchy Beauty Pride Gallery presents the works of artists Vanille Verloës, Sam J, and Edgar Fabian Frias. The exhibit space’s design reflects Givenchy Parfums’ signature elements, including the purple and blue hues of its Prisme Libre powder. The realm consists of several floating islands, each showcasing artwork and connected by black ramps for avatars to traverse. Visitors can find various spots to sit, take photos, record videos, and share their experiences with friends. Users can complete a quest that consists of searching for hidden collectibles scattered throughout the exhibition to win a Givenchy beauty badge.
As the exhibition progresses, colors resembling rainbows cascade from the sky, culminating in a spectacular virtual fireworks display. The exhibit will be open to the public until July 6, with the artworks also featured on Givenchy Beauty’s Instagram and TikTok platforms.
Nike x Fortnite
Sportswear titan Nike has teamed up with Fortnite, a Web3 gaming platform, to develop a Nike-inspired virtual realm named ‘Airphoria.’ Fortnite describes Airphoria as “a sky-high celebration of sneakerhead culture, complete with stomping (lightly) grounds” like Station 97, Shoebox Tower, and Museum Max.
By linking their Epic Games account to the dotSwoosh trading platform, players can secure a spot on the allowlist for the upcoming Air Max digital release within the game. The collaborative effort between Beyond Creative, Nike, and Epic Games utilizes the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) to bring Airphoria island to life.
Fortnite’s website welcomes users with the following prompt, “Calling all sneakerheads: in an improbable floating city, ‘Airie’ has thwarted ‘Maxxed Out Max’s’ attempt to add missing Air Max Grails to his already maxxed-out collection. Experience Airphoria in Fortnite and recover the lost Air Max Grails! Just for your help, you’ll receive the Air Max 1 ’86 Back Bling.”
The island is accessible from now until June 27, 2023, at 8 PM ET by using the Discover feature or entering the island code 2118-5342-7190. Players who spend a minimum of 10 minutes exploring this island will be rewarded with the Air Max 1 ’86 Back Bling starting on June 28.
Drest
Drest, a mobile gaming company that democratizes the luxury fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries, has secured £15M in funding to advance the development of Drest Game 2.0. Since its inception in 2019, Drest has witnessed a 250 percent year-over-year user growth, raised a total of £30 million, and collaborated directly with over 260 brands such as Breitling, Cartier, Fendi, Gucci, Prada, and Valentino.
The investment arrives at a moment when mobile gaming revenues hit $92.2 billion in 2022, constituting 50 percent of the $184.4 billion global gaming market revenues. The global gaming market is projected to be valued at $221 billion by 2025, according to NewZoo.
By blending the artistic realms of luxury fashion, beauty, and lifestyle with the boundless opportunities of the metaverse, Drest provides players the opportunity to showcase and hone their styling skills using the most recent luxury fashion and beauty collections to adorn hyper-realistic avatars.
Through its in-game challenges, Drest serves as a user-generated content platform, with digital fashion selections supplied by Farfetch and brands directly, enabling players to explore, style, and shop the newest collections. Drest merges gamification with brand marketing and partnership possibilities, allowing stakeholders to engage and interact with new, highly active audiences.
The funding round was negotiated with the family office of Drest Co-Founder and Co-Chair Graham Edwards. Edwards recognized Drest’s potential early on in collaboration with fellow Founder and Co-Chair Lucy Yeomans, who previously held roles as Global Content Director for Net-A-Porter and Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar UK for 12 years.
